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Xeng Empire
The Xeng Empire is a vast civilization covering almost the entire Shuang region. Founded by the Frost Elf Daji, the Xeng Empire is inhabited by descendants of the ancient elf Chun. The regions in between and outside the cities in Xeng are called the Nomad Wilds, where the Shuang Nomads live. Xeng is a highly militarisitc expansionist empire. They are known for being very bold for the ability to colonize the unpleasant, almost inhospitable lands of Shuang. The capital is Yang Bao. Home to the Emperor himself, it is a fortified city rumored to be impenetrable. Conquered nations in Xeng Recently, the Xeng Empire has conquered much of Shuang, assimilating many nations. Said nations were originally organized into city-states, consisting of a single urban establishment and some surrounding landing. *Shui - A seaside nation home to a massive armada. *Dailo - A nation in the southwestern mountains, which serves as the border gate leading into Xeng. *Greyfall - A nation where most of its wealth is derived from minerals. *Froststream - A nation with a capital built around a river basin heated by geothermal vents. It is located in a pleasantly temperate region. *Briskwind - Briskwind is located in the Sen Forest. *Ghadi - An isolated city only reachable by air. Government The Xeng Empire is a technocracy. The ruling class consists of those who are proficient in magitek and military tactics. They serve as the councilors to the Emperor who is responsible for mandating the balance between them. A hierarchy system is present. Xeng laws are strict and rigid with little freedoms for the people, but the Xeng Empire has no slaves. Instead, the lowest class consists of those who have fallen into debt, and must work to pay it off in the form of labor. From there, farmers and merchants consist of the middle class. They can ascend to a position of power in the government if they are the owner of a guild or a large business. Culture Philosophy The Xeng Empire is a strong advocate for acknowledging the power of mortals over the gods. They believe that defined, rational logic is superior to the irrationality of the gods. They are not atheists as they do recognize the tangible existence of the supernatural, but they reject the notion of worship. Instead, they favor spiritual meditation in order to achieve harmony and balance in the world, and that one should show reverence and respect to those that have achieved true balance between mind, body and soul. Despite their early history as conquerors, the Xengese Empire has chosen not to expand beyond Shuang favoring the concept that balance can be preserved through the presence of numerous isolated states that are not strong enough to dominate the other, increasing or decreasing in power only to maintain balance. In times of stagnant peace, war must be fought to stir diversity, but in times of unending bloodshed, truce must be forged to prevent mortalkind from destroying one another. As a result, Xeng tends to be highly secretive and isolationist, only trading with the outside as they see fit. Magic is also central to their culture. However, the Xeng believe it should only be used for technology, rather than hexing. They believe that hexing and spellcasting in general is evil and the work of the tyrannical gods. The Shuang Nomads think otherwise resulting in tension between the two. Military The Xeng Navy is a fearsome force. Ships are designed as a gunboats: archers will fire volleys of arrows assisted by cannons. However, the most reckoning force is Xeng Army. They are not so much built to invade others since the Xeng Empire has almost the entire region of Shuang to themselves, but they are more focused on defending their cities from barbarians and other possible invaders. The expanse of the ice desert gives them protection, but Xeng nonetheless constantly builds up its armies. When a male Frost Elf turns age 18, they are enlisted and trained to be part of the Xeng Armed Forces. Technology Xeng technology shows remarkable prowess in engineering combining both magic and technology. They can create aqueducts that channel water throughout different city-states, and some of their water-powered cities show off what they are capable of. One of their most advanced weapons are large cannons which fire gunpowder dragon rockets, which gives them a major tactical advantage against others who are not well-versed in long range combat. The dragon rockets are missile projectiles known for their deadly accuracy as they are enchanted with spells that allow them to home in on targets. Population The Xeng Empire is not a multiracial empire primarily because the climate of Shuang is hostile to most species. Naturally, many Xengese people have xenophobic tendencies becoming wary of outsiders or "Men Beyond the Mountains" as they call them. As the Xeng Empire has been extremely successful when it comes to providing food, the total population of all city-states has reached 130 million. At the current rate of population growth, the Xeng Empire will face overpopulation problems within the next few decades. Conflicts The Xeng Empire has had a long history of conflicts during its 2,000 years of existence and has gone through many regimes and reigns. It has had many civil wars between city-states, but the most important of all of them was the Unification War of Xeng, which created an overarching government for the entire Xeng Empire. Currently, Xeng is on the brink of conflict with the Shuang Nomads because of their differing ideologies. History Pre-history Before the Xeng Empire was created, Shuang was an inhospitable wasteland. Travelling from the south was a wandering chieftain named Chun who lived in the Ling Mountains along with the rest of his clan of elves. One day, he discovered the Ice Temple found in Mt. Shen Wu, and inside he found the Winter Sigil. Whoever possessed this artifact would have the powers of the gods granted them. Chun was a modest elf. Rather than wishing for material things like money or power, he instead wished for Shuang to have life. Knowing that this artifact could fall in the wrong hands, he stayed behind in the temple to become the Winter Sigil's guardian for all eternity. The rest of his kin migrated to the northeast. Overtime, from being exposed to this new environment, these elves became the Frost Elves. From there, they continued to roam the land as the Shuang Nomads. Era of Conquest Centuries later, the Frost Elves started to have conflicts among themselves regarding Chun's wishes. They debated over what exactly it meant to use the power of the gods. Some thought it should be used to create technology, while others believed it should be used for spells. From that point, the Xeng Empire was founded, and the Shuang Nomads continued to roam. Golden Era The Xeng Empire thrived and expanded to what it is today, becoming a powerful, technologically advanced civilization. The Shuang Nomads on the other hand resorted to using their magicks and spellcasting, so that they could maintain their own tribal lifestyle. The Xeng Empire stopped expanding, instead focusing on refining their lifestyle within their borders. Invaders were few and far between because of the climate and terrain although trade was still difficult. The Spirit Dragon Yugo When the native Dragonmen of Shuang called for assistance in defeating the Spirit Dragon Yugo, the Xeng Empire refused believing his appearance to be a natural shift in the balance. Some say that they wanted no involvement because the Xeng had no association with Spirit Dragons and thus, would become Yugo's enemy if they had helped the Dragonmen. Category:Civilizations Category:Frost Elves Category:Articles by User:Krayfish